Breathe
by wrongnotes
Summary: After the Promised Day, Ed takes some time to reflect on what October third truly means to him. What better way to do so than on a camping trip? (Slight references to Edwin and Royai)


For the millionth time that day, Ed wondered what he had done to deserve the treatment he had received. Granted, it was nothing like the Promised Day or fighting homunculi, but he was beginning to feel that familiar rush in his veins. On his left there was Al, waving around his cat like a trophy and telling the most _embarrassing_ stories about Ed that he could come up with. On his right there was Winry, hitting his patellar reflex over and over so his leg would kick, and kick, and kick, for reasons _beyond him._ He could feel his eyelid twitch, accompanied with a clenched fist, and knew they had about thirty seconds before they'd be joining the fish in the lake.

On a different day, Ed would have laughed that he was _not_ a happy camper.

"Hey Al, why don't you tell them about the time you wet the bed? That one time in elementary school maybe… or last week?" Ed didn't need to turn his head to see how red Al had gotten, and laughed as Winry got him with an extra hard kick to the shin. _Payback._

Ed leaned back and smiled as the chaos escalated to involve Mustang and his team, drawing the attention away from himself. He felt the familiar weight of a head on his shoulder, and figured Winry had gotten bored of doing medical check-ups so late at night.

"It's fun, isn't it?" she smiled, watching as Al guarded his cat and started running around the campfire.

Ed nodded. "Al looks more relaxed than he has in months, and that's saying something with the way he's flailing around like that."

"Looks like Breda's got him cornered," she chuckled, nestling her head further into the crook of his neck.

"Nah, watch this, I bet Al's gonna sidestep him or some shit." As if on cue, Al stuck out a leg and sent Breda tumbling into the lake. Ed had lost track of their scuffle a while back, but it was entertaining enough to just watch the way everyone carelessly played around with one another.

Before the Promised Day, the tension and stress was high enough to overpower any other emotion. He'd swear the team would have wrinkles and grey hair before they turned forty, and Ed was no exception. He'd go days without sleep just for Al's sake, pulling out his hair trying to find a solution to their mistake. Now, they could mess around like kids without a worry in the world. He finally felt like he could _breathe._

The camping trip Mustang planned was a perfect getaway, despite Ed's previous complaints. Even though he wasn't military anymore, he still felt like a part of the team; a part of the family. The former-Colonel had insisted upon having them join, and with his newly restored eyesight, Ed could tell he wanted to experience nature with his own eyes again. It had been a long recovery, and his sight still wasn't perfect, but General Mustang walked with a new bounce in his step and a drive stronger than ever before.

"Al sure did recover quickly," Winry noted, watching the way he ran without getting short of breath. Although she had been in Resembool for Al's rehabilitation, she would never know how hard it had been to get him to his current state.

The quiet campsite was only an hour away by foot, but they had waited until Al was strong enough to make the trip. Ed was scared shitless, but there was no way he'd ever let anyone know about his previous doubts. The first time Al collapsed changed him to hover like a parent would. The way he had fallen without warning, the position of his hand, it was all too reminiscent of their own mother's collapse. Al insisted it was just exhaustion, but nothing could ever truly remove the fear that lingered in the back of Ed's mind. Maybe it was just paranoia, but even the slightest waver in Al's gait was enough to make him hold his breath with worry.

Ed watched closely as Al settled back down, checking for anything wrong. "Yeah, he did."

Before he could say more, Mustang must've decided he was getting bored of watching everyone play around. Being the entitled bastard that he was, he had to make a show out of his suggestion.

"As fun as it's been to watch you all run around like headless chickens, I'd rather get to _eating_ some before we all starve."

"Nice one General, the fifteen minutes it took you to come up with that were definitely worth it."

Mustang rolled his eyes. "I don't need your _sass,_ Fullmetal. My point still stands."

"Don't know why you needed to _announce_ it to everyone," Ed shot back, "just do your little fire show and cook it if you're so hungry."

Ed could see a vein pulse in Roy's temple, and covered his mouth to stifle laughter. It was comical how easily the General could get worked up. As expected, he had gone to work cooking the meat, and a tired Al soon plopped next to Ed on the log he and Winry shared.

"It's a bit crowded here, huh?" Al sighed as he stroked his cat with indifference.

"It wasn't crowded until you sat down." Ed leaned away as Al's cat got uncomfortably close to his face. As cute as the thing was, he could go without sneezing for the rest of the night.

Winry noticed the silence, and said something about helping with the cooking before walking away to the other side of the campsite. Ed wasn't stupid, he knew she was perfectly aware of what day it was, along with the fact that he hadn't talked about it all night. He had to admit, he felt conflicted with how he was supposed to feel about it all. In the past, October third was a day about remembering why he was a state alchemist and a way to strengthen his resolve. Now, it was more like a reminder of where he came from; to not forget the mistakes he made and all the struggles he went through to fix them.

"I'm really happy." Al beamed as he looked over, and Ed couldn't help but smile back. Seeing Al so content, with an actual _expression,_ was enough to prove that it had all been worth it.

"Me too." Ed was never very good with his words, but he knew Al would be able to tell how he felt without them. This October third was different from all the others, yet it still meant just as much. If anything, it held more emotion and meaning than it ever had. They had come so far in so little time, and just looking around was enough to prove it. The pure _joy_ Ed felt was so overwhelming that he couldn't quite figure out how to process it, despite the melancholy nature of the date.

"I hope things will be like this for a long time, brother," Al said, eyes still trained on the night sky.

"Don't be stupid Al, of course they will." Ed wanted to believe his words, but he knew the euphoria wouldn't last forever. They'd be affected by their actions for the rest of their lives, and it was just something they'd have to learn to deal with. The nightmares still stayed the same, and there were days when Ed didn't want to get out of bed in the morning, but the fact that they accomplished their goal was enough to distract him from those moments. Seeing Al happy was enough to keep him going.

Ed hadn't noticed how much time had passed until Riza handed him and Al a plate of chicken, a knowing glint in her eyes. She was joined by Roy on the log parallel to them, and quickly brushed off his hand as he stretched his arm behind her in a fake yawn. Roy joined sitting next to her and made a not-so-inconspicuous attempt at wrapping his hand around her shoulder. It was quickly brushed away. Hilariously so.

"I wonder when they'll end up getting married," Al smirked.

Ed scoffed. "Not any time soon, if the bastard doesn't man up and make a decent move."

"Hmm… sounds like someone else I know." Al did that _thing_ again where he raised his eyebrows up and down, and it was enough to make Ed punch him in the shoulder.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!"

"You know perfectly well what I mean,, or else you wouldn't have gotten so defensive."

"Remind me again why I shouldn't push you into that lake ," Ed said, eye twitching as it had been before.

Al held his cat in front of his face, waving it back and forth and pitching his voice in an exaggeratedly cute manner. "Because Mister Fluffington would be soooo sad!"

Ed simmered in his rage for a silent minute until finally breaking into giggles with the rest of the team. "No fair! You can't bring that mangy cat into this!"

"I still got you though, didn't I?" Al grinned, relishing his victory.

"You're lucky I'm tired, or else you would've been in the same state as Breda."

"Sure, you're _tired."_

It took Winry and the entirety of Team Mustang to keep Ed from going after Al again, and before long they all found themselves laughing in a pile on the grass. They stayed like that for a long time, looking at the stars and telling humorous stories until one by one they started to fall asleep. It definitely wasn't the most conventional of trips, but Ed knew it was exactly what they all needed.

October third would always hold the same meaning it had before, but now there was a new reason to honor the date. Not only would he remember the mistakes of his past, but the new memories he'd make with the ones he loved. Ed would remember the way Al's eyes glimmered brighter than the stars, and hold on to the feeling of pure relief and joy that accompanied their success.

He was happy in the moment, and that was enough.


End file.
